There are several prior methods of clamping and rotating tubing, pipe and conduit. A first method is that the user manually installs the proper size mandrel or collets to secure the tubing, pipe or conduit which is then manually fed into the bending machine. The user must also manually rotate for alternative bends on the same piece of tubing, pipe or conduit. Another method is that the user manually installs the proper size mandrel or collets to secure the tubing, pipe or conduit which is then automatically fed into the bending machine. All prior methods consisted of either having no rotation of the workpiece, manual rotation of the workpiece or the workpiece was automatically rotated using motors, geared motors, or a form of hydraulic or pneumatic actuation.
Current tube, pipe and conduit benders have collets and mandrels that have to be changed whenever a new diameter (inner diameter or outer diameter) tube, pipe or conduit is used. This becomes very costly to obtain and store numerous sizes of collets and mandrels.
In addition, currently architects create drawings and the drawings get passed to the electrical contractors. The electrical contractors then either print the drawings and take them to the field to bend conduit as needed to be installed based on the print, or they spend time creating individual drawings to pass them in a form that the individual contractor's prefabrication shop uses to create the bent conduit. This method is time consuming.